


Messed Up Aging

by Quinis



Category: Young Justice (Animated Series)
Genre: Gen, de-aged Dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:11:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3631053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For three years, Dick Grayson been stuck in a body ten years younger than he is. His secret is only known to the Bat Clan's inner circle. When the process reverses and sticks him back in his adult body, what does the team think? Especially after a curious Kid Flash and hot-headed Artemis almost figured out his secret in front of the team?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: First off, for those who follow me, I won't be updating during the Easter weekend (Thurday to Tuesday) because there's a family reunion on and I'll be away from the Internet. Of course, I hope to finish this two-shot by them (at least, I hope it won't be longer than a two shot). This is a different prompt to the other de-age fic I wrote but I couldn't refuse it. It just turned out longer. Also, this one has Tim and Jason in it.
> 
> Prompt:  
> AlreadyDe-aged!Dick  
>  _One of the reasons why Dick is so young compared to the rest of the superheroes is because he's already been de-aged and is gettting a kick out it._  
>  _When he was Nightwing, he had to bare responsibility of great lengths and a tense relationship with Bruce. When he's Robin, he's allowed to act immature for a while therefore he isn't expected to take on the role of team leader and Batman is a lot nicer to him this time around._  
>  _This is the reason why he has a newer suit and is taking place of Tim Drake._  
>  _His public personality was kept hidden from the media up until now and the reverse process doesn't look like it's coming anytime soon, until now that is._  
>  _Please show how the team and everyone reacts to find out their baby bird is actually the oldest out of all them._  
>  _Bonus! Jason Todd and Tim Drake making an apperance, nothing too major though._
> 
> Notes: Also took some inspiration from this comment on the thread:  
>  _Holy cow! This prompt is epicness. Now I wonder about how the team would act at figuring it all out. Probably one of them will find an old newspaper that shows a teen that looks remarkably like Robin with Bruce Wayne but it's like 7-8 years old. And Wally will be the only one that notices the name Richard Grayson in the tagline and then run over to the Wayne mansion and speak with Robin._

 

**Messed Up Aging**

**Part 1**

* * *

Dick Grayson glared at Bruce Wayne.

"What do you want?" he demanded to know. He stood tall and tried to look intimidating, even though he was only in slacks and the bruises from last night were stinging.

"Alfred has called everyone home for the weekend," Bruce said.

"Oh. Well, I might be there," Dick responded awkwardly. He couldn't say no to Alfred. However, "as long as nothing comes up with the Titans or the League."

"The League can handle themselves," Bruce responded with a tight frown.

Dick pressed his lips together in order to stifle a sigh. He might not be a member of the Justice League but they did ask him for help from time to time. He had duties as a founding member of the Teen Titans. And there was his job as a barkeeper and his training to be a police officer and this had been the first time he had seen Bruce in months and...

He felt dizzy.

"Dick?"

"Mm?"

"Dick?" There were strong hands on his shoulders and worry in Bruce's voice. "Dick? Have you been anywhere strange lately?"

Bruce's voice sounded warped, like he was listing through water. Without the abilities of an Atlantean.

Strange? Not by their standards. He tried to remember but a shot of shocking pain and heat went through his spine.

He cried out. The ground beneath his feet vanished and he could hear Bruce talking to someone.

His muscles jolted out of control and his body cramped and he would have cried out but his throat was tight and he couldn't think.

That weekend was to be his twentieth birthday.

They ended up celebrating his tenth.

* * *

Three years later and there was no sign of Dick going back to his original age; Batman had run test after test. Life had settled into a new routine where Dick went to school and Bruce would be there to see him off and pick him up at the end of the day.

Then, at night, Batman and Robin would take to the skies. The previous Robin, Tim Drake, had decided to craft the new persona of Red Robin and to rebuild the Teen Titans which had been dismantled after Nightwing vanished.

July fourth came and went.

Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin, Superboy with the late additions of Miss Martian and Artemis, created Young Justice.

Robin was the youngest. Their little bird; it probably didn't help that he was the shortest too.

Aqualad, Kaldur, would watch over him and Robin could trust him to answer any question he asked.

Kid Flash, Wally, was his best friend and they often hung out just doing whatever.

Superboy, Conner, was great fun to climb. Conner didn't even complain when Robin used him as a spring board.

Miss Martian, M'gann, would offer him cookies and other baked goods with a smile.

Artemis, just Artemis, went to school with him and he loved trolling her.

Because he was the youngest, they indulged him. He wasn't expected to know everything. He wasn't expected to lead and keep them safe. He would and could but he wasn't expected to.

* * *

Dick didn't know this, but during the Failsafe mission his body had seized. Later, Batman figured out it happened sometime after Miss Martian unconsciously took over and caused the team to forget it was only a simulation. It triggered after Aqualad died and Robin had to take over, step up as leader when there was no one else. Responsibility fell onto his thirteen year old shoulders.

Batman's working theory was that the influence of Miss Martian's powers had caused it. The power somehow knew that Dick's body wasn't right and tried forcing it to change back. But, he was only human and couldn't force a change like that.

"It was horrible," Dick whimpered later. "If we had survived, who would be Batman? I wouldn't ask Jason or Tim to do it. Jason's unable to be both Batman and head of Wayne Enterprises and Tim's not even- he's still a teenager."

"So are you," Bruce responded.

There was a flash of a smile.

"Barely." And it was gone. "It was just one of those rare times I actually missed being Nightwing, being an adult and able to reassure people because of it."

Batman didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't know Nightwing as well as he knew Robin. As horrible as he sometimes felt about it, he liked having Dick back by his side.

A motorbike revved, coming down into the cave. It skid to a park, almost dislodging one of the two riders.

The handler of the bike snickered as the person behind him side off, almost kissing the ground.

"That was. Mean." It was Tim Drake in his new Red Robin outfit; having replaced the cowl with a domino mask. He finished with his little display on the ground and stood up.

Jason Todd, dressed in his Red Hood outfit with a red bat symbol on his chest and had just the domino mask on under the bike helmet, waved up at them.

Dick had to climb up on the rails to see them properly and when he did, he looked over at Bruce, just to see if he planned this.

The grim frown suggested not.

"Come on, squirt." Jason grabbed Dick and hoisted him into the air and over his shoulder. "Replacement declared a movie night."

Dick wriggled and struggled but Jason was Jason and he didn't want to hurt him. For some reason, Jason liked hanging around him now that he was younger. The previously renegade anti-hero had first travelled home to check out the mini-Dick as he had called him. Now, he called Dick 'Squirt' and visited more often than Dick had as Nightwing.

"I'm not a squirt!" he cried out reflexively.

"Movie night?" Bruce questioned. He noticed that Alfred had entered the cave and was nodding at Jason and saying that everything was prepared to Tim.

"You're welcome to join us," Tim said as he followed Jason up the stairs after pulling a shirt, jacket and jeans over his uniform and stripping off his mask.

* * *

A week after the Failsafe mission, Kid Flash was sitting in the library with books and newspapers around him. He was frowning and oddly still when Artemis came in.

"What are you looking at?" she asked. The newspapers were old.

Kid Flash didn't respond. She walked around and caught a glimpse of the picture he was staring at.

"Hey, that's a kid from my school! Dick Grayson," she realised. It certainly looked like the kid with the dark hair and small frame. "He's a little troll. What's your interest in him?"

Kid Flash made a tiny whimper-squeak and pointed to the date on the paper. Over fourteen years ago.

Artemis frowned.

"Are you playing a joke on me, Baywatch? Did Robin help you with this?"

"There's more," Kid Flash said. He pulled out a paper with 'Batman and Robin?' printed on the front page and another asking in bold letters 'The Dynamic Duo; Do they exist?' and there were a few more with Dick Grayson from over a decade ago; reports on his parents falling to their deaths and Bruce Wayne taking him in.

"Robin's been around that long?" Artemis questioned. She grabbed a few of the papers and stormed out of the library. Kid Flash followed, stammering about how it was probably a legacy or something but she wasn't listening.

"Hey Artemis, Kid Flash, what have you been doing?" Robin asked wiggling his eyebrows as suggestively as a dorky thirteen year old could manage.

"Explain this, boy wonder," Artemis said, utilising one of the names printed in the newspaper.

Robin's face froze. He looked at the pages with Dick Grayson and turned to Kid Flash.

"I didn't tell her," he defended instantly. Then he lowered his hands and said, "but they're over a decade old."

"Who. Are you?" Artemis demanded to know. The rest of the team had gathered now and were watching intently.

* * *

"Robin."

"You can't be. According to this," Artemis smacked an artist's image of Batman and Robin, "Robin's been around for over ten years. Possibly as long as you've been alive."

Robin took deep breath. Maybe this was it. This was how they would find out.

"There's been more than one Robin." Maybe he should feel a little guilty for the easy way he ducked around the question.

Artemis raised a suspicious eyebrow and showed him the other paper.

"Explain Dick Grayson then?"

"What?"

"He's supposed to be twenty something," she brandished the paper in front of him. "But, he goes to my school! And he doesn't look twenty something. Are there two Dick Grayson's or something?"

Robin blinked, not that they could tell underneath the mask. His heart was hammering in his chest.

"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you talk to him?" Wait. That might not be a good idea. The last thing he wanted was Artemis to confront him in front of their classmates.

Superboy nudged M'gann.

"Artemis," M'gann said, kindly. "Maybe you shouldn't..."

"Something's going on here and I don't like it!" Artemis said. She was worried and scared about what this all meant. She didn't like the feeling. Robin took the moment of distraction as a chance to escape. Before they knew it, the computer was announcing his departure.

"Artemis, that wasn't right!" Kid Flash spoke up. He took the papers from her hands. "No one likes being put on the spot!"

"I was just trying to get some answers."

"Kid Flash is right. That was not the right way to approach this," Kaldur said. "However, this information is strange."

"Weird," Kid Flash nodded.

"I do not understand," M'gann said, "what's strange about it?"

"Robin has been around longer than we thought. But the one we know is only a teenager, too young to have taken the mantle when it was first created. We have only met Batman and Robin. So, who else is there?"

"Ugh. It's the Justice League headquarters thing all over again," Kid Flash grumbled. A member of the Justice League keeping information from them. It didn't matter that it was Batman, the most secretive of all the members, just that the information concerned their friend. But, their hunt for answers had hurt their friend. "Look, I'm going to go apologise to Rob."

Artemis sighed and gave him a soft glare.

"I'll come with you," she said because she cared about Robin and was sorry, not because she wanted to go with Kid Flash.

"I'm going to his place and you'll just slow me down," Kid Flash responded, leaving in the time it took her to blink.

"Perhaps we should try Google?" Superboy suggested.

"Oh yes! Our classmates suggest that Google has the answer to all questions!"

Artemis really wished Robin was here to hear this. She glanced down at the article in her hand on Richard Grayson and wondered if Google would be able to tell her more about him.

* * *

Dick stripped off his mask and costume as soon as he reached the cave. He pulled on his civvies and tried to ignore the red helmet on top of Jason's locker which said his older-younger brother was home.

He found Tim sleeping in front of the computer and placed a blanket over him. Tim had been getting very little sleep lately. Bruce had asked him to find out whatever he could on Cadmus, hacking into Cadmus labs.

Dick felt guilty.

Here was Tim, taking over the work Dick could have been doing but he was too young and too easily overlooked now. His chest felt tight.

For the second time that day, Dick fled. He pushed past someone on the way to his room and locked the door before dropping onto his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Final part! There, managed it before Easter. Happy Easter! (Remember I'm not posting during Easter Season). Also, I did my best to edit it but some mistakes might have slipped through.

 

**Part 2**

* * *

Wally knocked on the door of Wayne Manor, expecting Alfred to answer. Instead, he was faced with a huge guy, probably as tall and broad as the Batman.

"Uh, is Dick home?" he asked.

Light blue eyes looked down at him. The stranger's mouth twisted into a smirk. Wally felt like a fly caught in a spider's web.

"Kid Flash, right?" the guy said, his voice deep but light. He opened the door to let Wally in.

"Uh, how do you know?"

"Red hair, freckles, too short to be Speedy, well, Red Arrow. Ergo, Kid Flash."

Wally's mouth was hanging open. Who was this guy?

"Dick's probably in his room." A flick of his wrist and there was a L of metal in his hand, a tension wrench. "Want me to open it for you?"

Which meant Dick had locked himself in. Wally considered whether to give his friend his privacy but decided to at least try and apologise.

He nodded. The man smirked even more, showing his teeth as he led Wally up to Dick's room.

"So, finally clued into the big secret, huh?" the man asked.

"What do you mean?" Wally questioned, feeling the thrill at the confirmation that there was something being hidden from them.

The feeling was knocked away as if Wally had been drenched in ice water because, at that moment, the man managed to get the door open.

Dick was face down on the ground with his body seized up tight, twitching and flinching. His eyes were squeezed shut and his grunts of pain were the only noise he was making.

Wally was by his side the instant the sight reached his brain.

The man swore, causing Dick's eyes to squint open and try and focus on him.

"Dick!" Wally cried out, too scared to touch his friend as Dick's whole body shuddered.

"J..ay," Dick whispered in a whimper and wheeze. "Wal-" His eyes slid shut.

"Dick!" Wally cried out again.

"Move it, West!" the man said, pushing Wally back. He seemed to know what he was doing, making Dick as comfortable as he could and keying a number into his phone, one which summoned the rest of the family. He checked for a pulse and reported what was going on to Bruce and Tim when they appeared in the doorway.

Tim turned pale. Bruce's face slid into Batman-mode and he pulled out something to sedate Dick with.

Wally followed them down to the Batcave and watched helplessly as they hooked Dick up. He had no idea what was going on.

"What could have triggered this?" Bruce questioned as he looked over Dick's vitals.

Wally made a soft noise and found three sets of eyes staring at him. He explained about what had happened at the mountain base.

"It's all my fault," he said when he was done. "If I hadn't found those newspapers…"

Bruce, Tim and Jason stood around with no idea what to say to Dick's depressed friend.

"It is not your fault," Alfred said, giving his charges the 'look'. "Perhaps we were too lax when it came to investigating what happened to Master Dick. This might have been a long time coming and we are lucky it wasn't worse."

That night, Batman didn't darken the sky. Instead, Red Hood and Red Robin were spotted working together and any criminal working that night quickly learnt what a bad idea that was.

* * *

Feeling came back in a tingle. Dick's skin tingled and felt warm, refreshed as he opened his eyes.

A familiar dark ceiling greeted him. Dick sat up and sheets ruffled around him.

"Why am I in the med bay?"

Dick was surprised to feel the rumble in his throat. Surprised to hear his voice. His adult voice.

"Biologically, you are around twenty years old," Bruce reported. "You should be twenty-three."

Dick thought he should be thirteen but he knew that wasn't true. He curled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"So, what happened?" Dick asked, questioning what triggered his transformation back after three years.

"I'm going with the Replacement's theory that you're trying to avoid your friends!" Jason said merrily as he pushed his way into the room. "And it's failed since one of them has fallen asleep at your side there."

Dick looked down in surprise, only just noticing Wally's slumped over figure at the edge of the bed. The teenager was snoring away, his hands clenching the sheets.

Dick glanced back up to his younger brother.

"Don't," he said. Jason just smirked.

"I have to," he responded in glee. Jason pulled out a pot and a spoon.

"Alfred won't be happy with you using those for this," Bruce warned in monotone. Dick glared at his parental figure.

Bruce hasn't said a single word to discourage Jason from frightening Wally. Dick shook his friend but he was a moment too late as Jason started banging on the pot with the spoon and making a racket that caused Wally West to flinch and jump up in fright.

"What the?" Wally glanced around, instantly taking in what had happened. "JAY! Why, man? I stole cookies for you!"

Jason was too busy laughing to respond. Dick just glared at his brother.

Wally called for Dick's attention. He seemed baffled by his friend's transformation but hadn't run off at the sight.

"Uh, wow. You look good. Seriously. I should get into the acrobatics if it means I'll look like that in a few years."

"I doubt it," Dick responded, his voice strange to his ears.

Wally noticed how his friend didn't seem to be smiling. The teenage Dick, Robin, had smiled almost all the time. The adult only sprinkled tiny smiles during conversation.

"You have seen him," Bruce said after a few minutes, "now go home, Kid Flash."

"But-"

"Go. Dick will see the team tomorrow."

Dick was surprised to hear that but Wally didn't catch the slight widening of his eyes which betrayed that feeling.

"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow Dick!" Wally said before vanishing in a blur. Although it might have seemed callous, Dick knew from past experience that if Wally didn't see him then the speedster would track him down.

* * *

Dick Grayson didn't sleep well that night. His bed didn't feel right and his body didn't seem to fit properly under the covers. He had peeled off the Nightwing suit after patrol and showered in a worried haze.

Bruce insisted that he speak to the team. That they see him at least once before he heads off to Bludhaven or something.

Dick wondered if Bruce still wanted him here. After all, Jason had returned and was sleeping here at least once a month and Timothy was constantly visiting as this was one of the few places where he could sleep with minimal guard.

And Dick wondered if his friends would want him. Nightwing had been a friend of the Justice League, someone they could call if they needed assistance. While the Justice League didn't know that Nightwing had become Robin again after his ageing incident, Dick knew that some of them would be eager to extend the hand of friendship when they heard he was back.

As Robin, he had been one of the founding members of the new team but, did he fit with the young team now?

* * *

Nightwing walked out into the mountain, heart thudding in his chest but with a smile on his face.

"Rob!" Kid Flash called out, racing over to his friend.

"Hey, KF!" Nightwing responded with a wave. "And it's Nightwing."

"Whatever, 'Wing."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow at the sound of his family's nickname for Nightwing.

"I think you've been hanging out with my rebellious brother too much." Although, Red Hood had calmed down over the past few years. He had taken to being the eldest like a duck to water.

"Who is this?" Artemis questioned with a frown. Nightwing noticed the way her grip increased on her bow and tried to put her at ease with a smile.

"Nightwing!" Kid Flash declared. "I call him 'Wing. And Rob."

"Robin?" M'gann questioned, hovering off to the side with Superboy beside her.

"I must say, this is a surprise," Kaldur commented. "Are you a shapeshifter of some kind?"

"No," he quickly answered. Then he thought about it. They didn't really know what had trigged his transformation. "…Maybe? It's unlikely but we don't know why I turned into a kid in the first place," Nightwing said. He should probably suggest this theory to Batman, no matter how much he didn't like it.

"So, this is your real age?" Artemis questioned, "I'm not buying it."

"Why not?" Nightwing asked, confused.

"Robin acted far too much like a kid-"

"I liked acting like a kid," Nightwing muttered.

"And wouldn't the Justice League have let you in if you were really an adult?"

The team nodded in agreement and looked to Nightwing for an answer. Nightwing shifted and rubbed his arm.

"The Justice League doesn't know. Batman wants to see how long it takes them to figure out." And unless one of the Young Justice members blabbed, it wasn't likely that they would make the connection if they hadn't already.

The team shared another look. M'gann linked them all up, except for Nightwing while they deliberated.

Nightwing watched.

Kid Flash looked excited. Superboy looked thoughtful. Kaldur was careful to keep his face impartial. Artemis bounced around, her emotions showing on her face as she went from annoyed to frustrated at Kid Flash to cowed under Kaldur's attention. Being a telepath, M'gann's emotions didn't show on her face and it was difficult to even tell that she was a part of the conversation.

Nightwing didn't know what to do. He thought about the Zeta tube nearby and wondered if they would notice if he walked that way.

He almost missed the nods the team made as they decided on something.

"Nightwing!" Artemis called. He snapped to attention as she stomped over to him.

"Yes?"

Artemis reached up and tugged him down half a head to her height. There was a flash in his vision as she took a picture.

"We'll laugh about this later," she smirked as he his rubbed the light out of his eyes. Or tried to with the mask in the way.

She must have used a flash function just to annoy him.

"What was that for?"

"Now we match," she said, holding up the picture. "You have one, I have one."

The smile dropped from his face at the hint towards his identity.

"You know?"

"You made is easy. Especially since you didn't come to school. I was waiting for ages by the gate to confront you!"

Nightwing glared at Kid Flash.

"What? This doesn't have anything to do with me," Kid Flash whined, waving his hands in the air. While Nightwing's vision was mostly attracted to the movement, it didn't stop him from noticing the looks and possible conversation exchanged between the rest of the team.

"We have decided to try this," Kaldur said, stepping forward.

"This?" Kid Flash questioned in Nightwing's stead.

"Having Nightwing on the team. I hope I do not offend if I suggest that I remain leader for our next mission?"

Nightwing nodded. Even though Kaldur had been leader in place of Robin, until Robin was old enough, they didn't know Nightwing. Dick knew that Nightwing was different to Robin.

* * *

Nightwing was perched on the counter, digging through the cupboards. M'gann watched him for a few moments, wondering what he was doing. She didn't need to be a telepath to know that Nightwing was different to Robin. He was much more closed off and quiet. Even after two hours, they had yet to hear the word 'aster' come from his mouth.

"Where is it?" Nightwing muttered to himself and M'gann recalled Robin's tendency to talk to himself. Or, as Robin put it, scolding objects and computers around him. "Come here, you silly box with your sugary contents."

M'gann did a double take as Nightwing pulled out a cereal box with a bright smile of success on his face.

"Are you able to summon objects?" she asked, wondering for a moment whether he was an Earthling.

Nightwing laughed and pulled out a bowl.

"Nah, I just talk to myself," he said. He filled the bowl and held it out to her.

"Um, isn't that for you?" she asked.

"I'm good," he responded with a smile. He shoved his hand into the box and pulled out a small amount of coloured cereal. He popped it into his mouth and walked off chewing.

M'gann couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off. She thought she felt a stab of something which had been quickly snuffed out.

* * *

Superboy turned around. Where Nightwing had been standing a moment before, there was only empty air.

He tapped Artemis on the shoulder and pointed back. She realised his problem right away.

"Weren't you supposed to watch him?" she questioned softly.

"I didn't even hear him leave," Superboy informed her.

"Oh no, he's gone again?" Kid Flash groaned.

At that moment, Nightwing's voice sounded over their mental link;

_[I think I've found a way in.]_

The mental link lead them to a secret entrance where Nightwing was standing. He waved as they came up.

The mission was a success, all because of the secret entrance. Had they gone in the way they planned, they would have walked right into a trap.

Yet, something still bothered the members of the team. Something felt off.

* * *

Nightwing sighed and rolled over on his bed in the mountain. The mask was still on his face and he couldn't bring himself to change out of his uniform.

He lay there until the mountain base alarms started going off. He pulled himself from the bed and ran out to where the rest of the team were standing.

"Red Hood?" Artemis gaped when she recognised the Gotham anti-villain.

Red Hood stalked forward, no weapons in hand and the light shining off his red helmet. The team took a wary step back. Nightwing stepped forward.

"What are you doing here?" Nightwing demanded to know.

Underneath the helmet, Jason cocked an eyebrow. The hood tilted up and down as he looked his older brother over.

"So, you're back," he commented.

M'gann flinched as something spiked in the air. Nightwing didn't move.

"I'm back." Nightwing hated that way of phrasing it. It wasn't like he went anywhere. The thirteen year old had been him and the twenty year old was him. "You want something?" He wondered if Jason was here to tell him that he liked the thirteen year old better.

Twenty year old Nightwing had tried to get Jason home but it wasn't until he was thirteen that Jason finally spent a few nights which turned into him coming back into the fold, mostly. Nightwing doubted that Jason would be here, looking like he was about to pick a fight, if thirteen year old Robin was still with the team.

Nightwing was on edge. He didn't want to fall but he knew he wasn't able to balance himself out in time.

The team looked between Red Hood and Nightwing. They shifted closer together as M'gann mentally linked them. Kid Flash quickly explained that the guy in the helmet was Nightwing's brother, although he believed they weren't blood related.

M'gann learnt that humans didn't consider blood ties the only thing which made people family. Artemis wondered if she should delete the picture of her and Nightwing before Red Hood ended up on her doorstep.

"I need a reason to visit?" Red Hood questioned, throwing his arms out. He wasn't happy. "Fine. I want to check this team out."

"You can't join," Nightwing responded. He didn't want to attract any of Jason's enemies to this team.

 _[When did he become leader?]_  Superboy questioned with with a glance at Kaldur.

 _[Superboy!]_ Kid Flash sent back in a warning tone.

 _[I'm wondering why Nightwing thinks he can make decisions like that,]_  Superboy responded.

 _[He has a point,]_  Artemis added in Superboy's defence.

 _[Perhaps.]_  Kaldur's words were calming as he continued, [but Nightwing knows this person better than us. He might know that he isn't suited for this team.]

Kaldur stepped between the two brothers, his hands out in a peaceful gesture.

"Nightwing, perhaps you should hear the team's opinions first."

Nightwing smiled back at them.

"I doubt you want any adults in this team," he said. For a moment, he betrayed his real feelings. As a twenty-year old, he didn't belong here. Roy was eighteen and would be a great member, if he ever decided to join.

All Jason heard was the rejection sent in his direction.

"Yeah, well, no one wants to be in your stupid club," he barked back to Nightwing.

 _[What just happened?]_  Kid Flash questioned, turning to M'gann for answers. She shook her head in response.

 _[I can't get anything from them,]_  she explained.

"J-Red Hood," Nightwing said softly and sadly.

"Oh, no way do you get to pin me as the bad guy!"

"Oi!" Artemis shouted. They were brothers and seemed to be on the same side; Red Hood was rumoured to work with the Bat at times. "You're brothers! What are you doing fighting like this, here?"

The both turned to look at her and she tried to stand her ground even though they made her feel tiny.

"Aqualad said we all get a say in team members," Superboy said. "Why can't you both join?"

"What?" they said in unison.

"Good idea. You can both join!" Kid Flash said quickly.

"As long as there are no fights among team members here," Kaldur concluded with a nod.

"Uh, I don't think we're fighting about that," Nightwing said, scratching his head. Although he was surprised to hear Superboy say that he could join.

Red Hood snorted.

"Of course not," he mocked, "what were we fighting about then?"

"I don't see you as a bad guy," Nightwing said.

The red hood tilted back as Jason asked, "what are you talking about?"

"I don't see you as a bad guy," Nightwing repeated. "You keep saying that you're the bad guy and that we don't see things the same way as you but I don't see it." Nightwing was aware of the nudging and looks from the rest of the team telling him to keep going. It would have been encouraging, if Nightwing didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"Really? Then where have you been the past few days? Why haven't you come home? Red Robin said you didn't come home because I was there."

" _-zzt-_ " The Mount Justice intercom crackled to life. "I only suggested that Nightwing might not want to get into a fight with you and that's why he hasn't returned!" a voice unknown to the team but known to Nightwing and Red Hood said.

"Whatever, Red Robin," Red Hood grumbled.

"What did you think you were fighting about?" Artemis asked him while the rest of the team eyed the ceiling. They were surprised that someone had managed to hack into the mountain but it seemed like 'Red Robin' was also part of Batman's clan.

Red Hood grunted and didn't respond. Nightwing stepped towards him.

"Did you come here because you wanted me to come home?"

Red Hood growled.

"It's not... fine! You've been hiding out in this mountain with your friends all week! Are we not good enough for you?"

Nightwing turned to the team.

"Looks like I've got to go back to Gotham," he said. "I'll see you guys for training!"

"Does he even need training?"Superboy wondered quietly.

Nightwing heard the comment and it hurt but he didn't let his show as he waved at them and bounded towards the Zeta tube. Red Hood gave them a salute before walking out.

The team watched them go. They shared a look.

* * *

"He's not as happy as he used to be," Kaldur said.

"He's not thirteen anymore," Kid Flash pointed out, "so he probably doesn't feel as happy."

"We need to so something," M'gann decided. "He's still Robin but it's like he's scared to be Robin."

"I thought his name was Nightwing?" Superboy said in confusion.

"The change in name must have some significance," Artemis mused. They all thought about it. In the end, Artemis was the one who came up with the idea. After much discussion, the best idea was to welcome Nightwing to the team. The name had changed after all. "Maybe instead of pretending we don't notice and expecting things to be the same, we should try acknowledging the differences?"

"And celebrating?" M'gann suggested, remembering words from her TV shows. "Like a party."

There were nods of agreements. They weren't done though as Kaldur had one more suggestion to make. The team was filled with teenagers and while they were open to older members; the attempts at recruiting Red Arrow showed that, it would be uncomfortable for an adult to be surrounded with people younger than them.

Kid Flash protested that Nightwing wouldn't think that way. Kaldur countered by saying that maybe they needed to attract a number of older heroes at the same time, so they wouldn't feel awkward around talks about school and things and they would have people in the team who could relate to their own problems; he used his own experience when he first came to the surface as an example. Kaldur had relied on Aquaman and the other heroes his age, including Robin, to help him feel comfortable in this new world.

"Perhaps, Nightwing needs the same. People to help him adapt."

Kid Flash sulked but agreed. A smirk grew on Artemis' face.

"Then, could I make a suggestion?"

* * *

Nightwing was off as soon as he appeared. Red Hood watched him go before running off after him.

"'Wing," he growled. He followed Nightwing, slowly catching up by taking shortcuts. He could tell where Nightwing was going as Red Hood had played 'roof tag' with the deaged Robin a few times.

Nightwing was following the path of one of their games. It made it easier for Red Hood to tackle him to the ground. Red Hood glared at Nightwing, noticing the way the other hero wasn't looking at him.

Jason muttered an insult at Dick.

"You wouldn't have tackled Robin like this," Nightwing said, wincing as pressure was placed on what was now an injured shoulder. "And you haven't spoken to me like that in years."

"Like what?" Red Hood didn't Nightwing's point.

"You treated the younger me like a brother. Now that I'm a grown up, you don't like me."

Under the hood, Jason blinked in bafflement.

"First, 'grown up', seriously? You sound like you're still thirteen years old. Second, I still like you, I guess. Why else would I invade the mountain, probably putting myself on the League watch list, if not to see you?"

"Because being put on the League watch list would annoy Batman?" Nightwing suggested but his heart wasn't in it.

"Not funny."

"Sorry. It's just, I don't want everything to change."

"What's it going to take to show you that we're still just as mess up as always?" Jason asked.

Dick thought about it for a moment. He wanted Jason to say yes so he needed to pick something his brother would enjoy.

"Movie night?" Dick suggested.

"Fi-"

"Can I pick the movie?" Red Robin asked, his voice sounding in their comms. The older vigilantes jumped in surprise. They hadn't realised their comms were on. Or they were remotely turned on. Red Robin was getting sneaky.

"I thought you were hacked into Mount Justice?" Nightwing mused to Red Robin.

"Forget that. I'm picking the movie, just so the little eavesdropper doesn't," Red Hood said. "And when I get there, we're going to have a talk about boundaries. Hackin' the hood is off limits."

"Then get better security?" Red Robin suggested causing Nightwing to bark a laugh. But Red Hood wasn't done;

"Yeah, I want popcorn too. And soda. And I'm not paying for a thing."

* * *

Jason blinked at the email.

"What is this? And how did those little brats get my email address?"

Dick looked over at the screen. Wally had asked for Red Hood's contact details in what had been a very awkward conversation. But, it appeared to be worth it as he read what was on the screen.

In fact, Nightwing had received the same email.

"Well, you did say you want to join," he said, holding back giggles.

Jason glared at Dick and then at the screen.

"An invitation to join the team," he growled. "You guys really need to get a name."

"They sent one to Red Arrow too," Dick said, pointing to the CC line.

"Amateurs." Jason thought about that for a moment. Then he grabbed his hood and started towards his bike.

"What are you going to do?" Nightwing asked, worried.

"None of your business, Squirt. If you're that scared, then don't turn up to the meeting."

* * *

The team cheered when Nightwing appeared. He smiled at the party supplies decorating the room and the party food spread out.

"Awesome job guys," he said. Lately, he had been sounding more like an adult and less like the thirteen year old.

"Glad you realised that there's no age limit here," Kid Flash whispered to him.

"Where is Red Hood?" Artemis asked.

Nightwing shrugged. He had no idea where Jason had gone. His brother hadn't returned after leaving the cave the day they received their invitations.

The computer announced their new arrivals. The team froze.

"No way," Kid Flash said. A wide smile grew on his face.

"Yo!" Red Hood said as he walked in. "Brought a present." And he slapped Red Arrow's back as the other vigilante walked in.

Red Arrow looked Nightwing up and down.

"He really wasn't lying. Robin?"

Nightwing waved.

* * *

Jason didn't formally join the team but he somehow managed to convince Red Arrow to do so. It probably helped that Nightwing had opted to stay with the team rather than move to the Justice League.

And Red Hood did sometimes hang with the team, mostly with Red Arrow. Nightwing pretended that he didn't know about the missions the two were doing on the side.

Things were good. As good as they could be for a bunch of people who risked their lives everyday fighting the slightly unhinged to just plain crazy.

Although, Jason still called Dick 'Squirt'. When someone brought it up, Jason just said that Dick was still shorter than him hence, 'Squirt' was appropriate.


End file.
